Search found 1177 matches

by Fremdon Ferndock
Tue Apr 11, 2023 11:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Living in 55+ Communities?
Replies: 120
Views: 18707

Re: Living in 55+ Communities?

Ed 2 wrote: Tue Apr 11, 2023 10:32 pm
HomerJ wrote: Tue Apr 11, 2023 9:39 pm
Ed 2 wrote: Tue Apr 11, 2023 8:10 pm
abuss368 wrote: Sun Apr 09, 2023 11:20 am
Ed 2 wrote: Tue Apr 04, 2023 3:39 pm What happened if spouse is 54?
Hi Ed -

Love the curve ball!

Great question.

Tony
Just had eyes popping discovery about 55 retirement boomers community)))
I'm confused what you mean...

Nothing happens if the spouse in 54 or even 44 (or 19 either I would guess). Only one person needs to be 55+ as far as I know (but I guess you should ask)
What if 55 years old spouse dies due some illness or accident ? 54 years old getting kicked out ?
Just keep the spouse in the freezer for a year.
by Fremdon Ferndock
Tue Apr 11, 2023 12:15 am
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Probably a macOS Safari 16.4 bug: empty blue space in posting window [SOLVED]
Replies: 30
Views: 8735

Re: Probably a macOS Safari 16.4 bug: empty blue space in posting window

Maybe some of you will get to try out a different browser and you'll Like It.
by Fremdon Ferndock
Mon Apr 10, 2023 6:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: My misadventure with Chase Checking account
Replies: 70
Views: 8236

Re: My misadventure with Chase Checking account

I just received a letter from Chase pertaining to the $3500 check I deposited in my Chase checking account via a paper check drawn on my U.S. Bank checking account. That deposit was put on a 4 day hold when it was deposited, which later turned into an 11-day hold that I first learned about online with no explanation. The letter detailed the extended hold and gave a reason: Chase bank was unsure if the check would be paid it said. As I explained upthread, I had already resolved the matter via my human banker at Chase. But this letter made me crazy and left me wondering if the funds would ever have been made available without the intervention of the banker. I went online and determined that U.S. bank had done an EFT the very day the check was...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Mon Apr 10, 2023 10:05 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bernstein's LMP (Liability Matching Portfolio) no longer effective??? Articles to read: Comments?
Replies: 37
Views: 4965

Re: Bernstein's LMP (Liability Matching Portfolio) no longer effective??? Articles to read: Comments?

The article makes some points to think about, but I'm unable to locate anything in it regarding the "20% failure rate." What is the basis for that? And then of course there's the question "what's the alternative?" Own lots of stocks and cross your fingers? Might work.
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sun Apr 09, 2023 8:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Living in 55+ Communities?
Replies: 120
Views: 18707

Re: Living in 55+ Communities?

HomerJ wrote: Sun Apr 09, 2023 8:38 pm
Fremdon Ferndock wrote: Sun Apr 09, 2023 8:32 pm If being around a bunch of old people a lot in a 55+ community brings you down, then spend some time visiting assisted living and nursing home facilities. It will make you feel better about it, seeing what your real future-future self will look like. It's all relative.
Exactly.... 55+ communities are like college days again...

They are nothing like assisted living or nursing homes.
In that case, sign me up for the nursing home. I didn't like college that much the first time around, and I can't get into the same pants I wore then.
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sun Apr 09, 2023 8:35 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Role of gold and what actually drives its price
Replies: 47
Views: 5538

Re: Role of gold and what actually drives its price

I don't really think of gold as "insurance." Rather it's a speculation. When unexpected bad things are happening and when the stock market is shaky, people say "Let's buy some gold -- it's insurance." Then the price of gold spikes up. That explains the correlation between stocks and gold. Sometimes it works that way with bonds too. Of course, you shouldn't wait to buy insurance until your house is on fire; you should buy insurance when everything is O.K. Some people do that with gold, and lots of people say that's a good idea but don't actually do it, but very few buy and keep holding the gold insurance after a decade or two of not collecting on it. Especially, they don't keep buying more and more of it when that happen...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sun Apr 09, 2023 8:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Living in 55+ Communities?
Replies: 120
Views: 18707

Re: Living in 55+ Communities?

If being around a bunch of old people a lot in a 55+ community brings you down, then spend some time visiting assisted living and nursing home facilities. It will make you feel better about it, seeing what your real future-future self will look like. It's all relative.
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sun Apr 09, 2023 8:24 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Role of gold and what actually drives its price
Replies: 47
Views: 5538

Re: Role of gold and what actually drives its price

I don't really think of gold as "insurance." Rather it's a speculation. When unexpected bad things are happening and when the stock market is shaky, people say "Let's buy some gold -- it's insurance." Then the price of gold spikes up. That explains the correlation between stocks and gold. Sometimes it works that way with bonds too. Of course, you shouldn't wait to buy insurance until your house is on fire; you should buy insurance when everything is O.K. Some people do that with gold, and lots of people say that's a good idea but don't actually do it, but very few buy and keep holding the gold insurance after a decade or two of not collecting on it. Especially, they don't keep buying more and more of it when that happens...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sun Apr 09, 2023 8:09 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: My misadventure with Chase Checking account
Replies: 70
Views: 8236

Re: My misadventure with Chase Checking account

Now I'm about to file my tax return and pay online from my Chase account. Wish me luuccckkkkkkk.......
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sun Apr 09, 2023 3:13 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What if you owned no U.S. stocks?
Replies: 63
Views: 5851

Re: What if you owned no U.S. stocks?

I think that over time the currency risk evens out and the equity returns of U.S. and global ex-U.S. are about the same. But "over time" can be a long time. For U.S. retirees, I wonder if it makes more sense to be all U.S. or overweight U.S. so as to not assume currency risk on top of equity risk. Bogle advised no more than 20% in foreign equities and that might make the most sense for retirees. Currency risk works both ways. You earn dollars in the US. Get social security in US Dollars. Earn other retirement benefits like Medicare that's based in USD. Why does it make sense to minimize currency risk? If the US dollar has a crisis, then being mostly 100% US or close to it will not hedge US specific risks, which is the entire poin...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sun Apr 09, 2023 3:00 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Role of gold and what actually drives its price
Replies: 47
Views: 5538

Re: Role of gold and what actually drives its price

Bogle said that stock prices are determined by (1) earnings, (2) dividends, and (3) speculation. Gold price is determined by one of those three.
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sun Apr 09, 2023 2:52 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What if you owned no U.S. stocks?
Replies: 63
Views: 5851

Re: What if you owned no U.S. stocks?

I think that over time the currency risk evens out and the equity returns of U.S. and global ex-U.S. are about the same. But "over time" can be a long time. For U.S. retirees, I wonder if it makes more sense to be all U.S. or overweight U.S. so as to not assume currency risk on top of equity risk. Bogle advised no more than 20% in foreign equities and that might make the most sense for retirees. Currency risk works both ways. You earn dollars in the US. Get social security in US Dollars. Earn other retirement benefits like Medicare that's based in USD. Why does it make sense to minimize currency risk? If the US dollar has a crisis, then being mostly 100% US or close to it will not hedge US specific risks, which is the entire poin...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sun Apr 09, 2023 2:29 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What if you owned no U.S. stocks?
Replies: 63
Views: 5851

Re: What if you owned no U.S. stocks?

I think that over time the currency risk evens out and the equity returns of U.S. and global ex-U.S. are about the same. But "over time" can be a long time. For U.S. retirees, I wonder if it makes more sense to be all U.S. or overweight U.S. so as to not assume currency risk on top of equity risk. Bogle advised no more than 20% in foreign equities and that might make the most sense for retirees.
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sun Apr 09, 2023 1:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Appeal of Genworth Insurance‘s denial of Long Term Care: Use a lawyer?
Replies: 40
Views: 5702

Re: Appeal of Genworth Insurance‘s denial of Long Term Care: Use a lawyer?

From the OP: Have any Bogleheads had similar experience with Genworth or other LTC providers? Would a lawyer take such a case on a contingency basis as with personal injury and expect a percentage if successful? Or can lawyers be hired on an hourly basis or for a flat fee? If so, what is normal and fair? Any comments or suggestions are welcome. Thank you. From that I gather that the OP is specificallyy interested to learn something about working with a lawyer to address the denial by Genworth, not what he/she shoulda coulda done. None of us have specifically addressed the OPs questions in that regard. My previous response to this is to schedule an appointment with perhaps a couple of different Elder Law attorneys and see what they say about...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sun Apr 09, 2023 11:56 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What if you owned no U.S. stocks?
Replies: 63
Views: 5851

Re: What if you owned no U.S. stocks?

You may have missed this part:
these results are consistent all the way back to 1926 too…
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sun Apr 09, 2023 11:14 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: My misadventure with Chase Checking account
Replies: 70
Views: 8236

Re: My misadventure with Chase Checking account

Fremdon Ferndock wrote: Thu Apr 06, 2023 1:43 pm I have a race going on between Chase and U.S. Bank. Transferred $100 to Chase and $7000 to U.S. Bank from Vanguard at same time. We'll see which one has these funds available quickest. The winner gets the prize.
It's a tie. As of Easter Sunday, the deposits are in both accounts. However, I speculate that if the amounts had been reversed, with $7K going into Chase it would have entered the black "on hold" hole for the next how many days. I'm afraid to transfer large amounts and then needing to go see my Chase banker every time to get the funds released.
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sun Apr 09, 2023 10:49 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What if you owned no U.S. stocks?
Replies: 63
Views: 5851

Re: What if you owned no U.S. stocks?

Yes, all backtesting results are dependent on the start and end dates; likewise how lucky you were when you started and ended your investment journey. You can do well with all U.S., all ex-U.S. Half of each. Pick something and forgettaboutit. It will probably turn out O.K -- or not.
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sun Apr 09, 2023 10:35 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Inflation-hedging my nominal annuity
Replies: 70
Views: 5186

Re: Inflation-hedging my nominal annuity

3) Inflation is 4% and portfolio nominal returns are 5% (i.e. approximately 1% real) This is assuming away the problem. Yes, of course if you know the future inflation rate it’s relatively simple to mitigate the damage. But the challenge is you don’t know the future inflation rate and it can be literally anything I really like your phraseology "assuming away the problem." I'll remember that to use myself. And I also like your following comment "if you know the future inflation rate it's relatively simple to mitigate the damage." This is exactly Bill Bernstein's point about nominal annuities, bonds, etc. Not that I'm discounting the suggestions of StillGoing and others. Regardless of what inflation turns out to be, I hav...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sun Apr 09, 2023 1:24 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Appeal of Genworth Insurance‘s denial of Long Term Care: Use a lawyer?
Replies: 40
Views: 5702

Re: Appeal of Genworth Insurance‘s denial of Long Term Care: Use a lawyer?

The OP can verify, but I would expect that the scope of Genworth's investigation did in fact include a review of the family member's Plan of Care and information from the patient's records; it would be rather surprising if it did not. Insurance claims are adjudicated by claims investigators for the insurer. In the OP's case, their claim has been denied. The extent to which this is an incorrect decision that is based solely on the relative's uncooperativeness with a cognitive assessment is not clear. When LTC claims are denied, the insurer has an obligation to specify the exact basis for its denial. Typically, this is done in what is called a denial letter . If the specific reason for denial is not given, you should immediately seek the basi...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sat Apr 08, 2023 8:01 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: I Bonds and Bill Bernstein's Maxim
Replies: 115
Views: 23275

Re: I Bonds and Bill Bernstein's Maxim

SteveinVanvcouverWA wrote: Sat Apr 08, 2023 6:17 pm
KarlJ wrote: Sat Apr 08, 2023 12:52 pm
A TD Trust account will be the final building block to complete my legacy giving plan.
What’s a TD Trust account and how do you set it up? Does it somehow make it easier for your beneficiaries to access your I Bonds?
No, I don't think it makes it easier because the hapless trustee will have to do it. :oops:
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sat Apr 08, 2023 7:57 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Appeal of Genworth Insurance‘s denial of Long Term Care: Use a lawyer?
Replies: 40
Views: 5702

Re: Appeal of Genworth Insurance‘s denial of Long Term Care: Use a lawyer?

You didn't think you'd need to pay a psychiatrist and hire a law firm to go to court to collect your LTCI did you? One more reason to avoid it.
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sat Apr 08, 2023 7:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Nursing Home vs Assisted Living
Replies: 46
Views: 5122

Re: Nursing Home vs Assisted Living

This is a somewhat relevant article from the Washington Post about Medicaid and assisted living, highlighting the precarious position of those who start off as private-pay clients and then transition to Medicaid when they run through their assets: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/04/06/seniors-assisted-living-medicaid-eviction/ From the article: Assisted living is different. At those facilities, Medicaid money can be used to reimburse only the cost of care, such as bathing and dressing, and not room and board, although some states offer supplemental payments to help with rent and food. Room and board is maybe 90% of patient costs in assisted living. According to the article, Medicaid can't be used for room and board. So, if som...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sat Apr 08, 2023 1:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Retiring in a NORC instead of a planned retirement community
Replies: 5
Views: 1375

Retiring in a NORC instead of a planned retirement community

New research finds that retirement "success" may be more likely if you stay put and age in place. The Stanford Center on Longevity experts refer to middle- and lower-income areas that demonstrate higher life expectancy as “naturally occurring retirement communities,” or “NORCs” for short. As defined in the new analysis, a naturally occurring retirement community is a community or neighborhood with a growing population of older adults in which the dwellings were not purposefully intended for older adults when they were originally designed and/or built. Gourevitch says the academic research is clear that people age in a healthier way if they maintain the deep social connections with friends and communities they built up during early...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sat Apr 08, 2023 12:46 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What if you owned no U.S. stocks?
Replies: 63
Views: 5851

What if you owned no U.S. stocks?

It's not as important WHAT you own as that you own SOMETHING and stick with it.
Most people don’t ONLY own US stocks. So they may own a 60/40 portfolio, or perhaps a global market portfolio of all assets.

So let’s compare those if you take US stocks out altogether and replace them with ex-US stocks.

Here is the GMP today, and held consistently back in time.

Voila! Not optimal, but still totally fine.
Image

https://mebfaber.com/2023/04/01/what-if ... us-stocks/
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sat Apr 08, 2023 12:23 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Inflation-hedging my nominal annuity
Replies: 70
Views: 5186

Re: Inflation-hedging my nominal annuity

COLA is a misnomer -- correctly, these are graded annuities. They step up payments by a fixed percentage and are not linked to cost of living.
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sat Apr 08, 2023 12:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Nursing Home vs Assisted Living
Replies: 46
Views: 5122

Re: Nursing Home vs Assisted Living

I'll add one more thing, although there's not much you can do about it. The pandemic decimated full-time staff at SNFs and also ALFs. A key factor in evaluating quality of care is to determine how long staff have been employed at a facility. The general rule was that the longer staff have been in place, the better the quality of care. That was due to experience and also was a sign of desirable employment conditions. Unfortunately, many full-time staff departed during the pandemic and have remained departed. It's often the case that careworkers can earn more in other settings, such as hospitals. Now SNFs have a much higher ratio of agency staff (temps). While many are good careworkers, there are many who are not. And there is a lot of rotati...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sat Apr 08, 2023 11:56 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: My misadventure with Chase Checking account
Replies: 70
Views: 8236

Re: My misadventure with Chase Checking account

I contacted my Chase banker (she is great) about all this yesterday and she returned my call today. Asked me to bring her evidence that the deposit check drawn on U.S. Bank had been cashed, which I did in the form of a printout of my online check register. She said she would try to lift the hold with this information. I have to admit that I was puzzled by all this, because it would seem that Chase should already know the check was cashed at U.S. Bank because the funds must have been sent via EFT to Chase and the money has just been sitting there. At any rate, I just went online and saw that the hold has been lifted. Have to admit to skepticism as to whether this will stay in place. We'll see if it sticks, because I've seen things flip on m...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sat Apr 08, 2023 1:00 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Inflation-hedging my nominal annuity
Replies: 70
Views: 5186

Re: Inflation-hedging my nominal annuity

I wonder how friends are doing now who retired in 2006 on a fixed retirement annuity from TIAA? Looks like the purchasing power of their annuity has declined by nearly 40% since then - ouch! After reading the posts and thinking about it some more, I realize that you can't really hedge inflation for a nominal annuity in the true sense because just about any approach you can think of relies on making some guesstimates about the inflation rate and your lifespan and that's not how a hedge works. Maybe the best you can do is to try to compensate for the impact of inflation on a fixed annuity is by maximizing holdings of assets that are inflation-adjusted, such as TIPs or I-Bonds. The shortcoming of these is that they don't provide longevity pro...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Sat Apr 08, 2023 12:54 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Nursing Home vs Assisted Living
Replies: 46
Views: 5122

Re: Nursing Home vs Assisted Living

I should mention that, in my state anyway, if someone living in an ALF "elopes" and that results in a discharge from AL their rap sheet apparently goes with them. Upon applying for admission to another ALF in the state, there's a good chance of being denied. Happened with my mother so I know from first-hand experience. The ALF where she resided offered her the chance to stay in Memory Care, which we tried out for a few months. She wasn't close to being a far gone as the other inmates, so it was a distressing experience for her and for us. Since room doors must be open for staff to keep tabs, she had a couple other inmates wandering into her room at random hours to use her bathroom or get into her bed. With the help of a geri socia...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Fri Apr 07, 2023 5:36 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Inflation-hedging my nominal annuity
Replies: 70
Views: 5186

Re: Inflation-hedging my nominal annuity

I wonder how friends are doing now who retired in 2006 on a fixed retirement annuity from TIAA? Looks like the purchasing power of their annuity has declined by nearly 40% since then - ouch! After reading the posts and thinking about it some more, I realize that you can't really hedge inflation for a nominal annuity in the true sense because just about any approach you can think of relies on making some guesstimates about the inflation rate and your lifespan and that's not how a hedge works. Maybe the best you can do is to try to compensate for the impact of inflation on a fixed annuity is by maximizing holdings of assets that are inflation-adjusted, such as TIPs or I-Bonds. The shortcoming of these is that they don't provide longevity prot...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Fri Apr 07, 2023 5:10 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Wealthfront 4.3% APY - too good to be true?
Replies: 33
Views: 4721

Re: Wealthfront 4.3% APY - too good to be true?

What auction? Since you're in Vanguard, you can purchase T-Bills with your MM stash. Hit the Transact button and scroll down to Trade Bonds and CDs. Hit the Treasurys tab and you'll see which securities are being offered at auction. Currently the 3-month and 6-month are being offered. You can buy either by clicking on Buy. When I do this in my Vanguard account, the page after I click on "Trade Bonds and CDS" stays blank. What am I doing wrong? I have RothIRA and brokerage accounts with several thousands in MM/settlement funds. When I hit the Transact button a drop down menu appears and I can scroll down on it to Trade Bonds or CDs. Don't know why you aren't seeing this. I do see the "Trade Bonds and CDS". I click on it ...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Fri Apr 07, 2023 4:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Appeal of Genworth Insurance‘s denial of Long Term Care: Use a lawyer?
Replies: 40
Views: 5702

Re: Appeal of Genworth Insurance‘s denial of Long Term Care: Use a lawyer?

Genworth's nurse obviously has no incentive to find for your relative - they are paid by Genworth. I would suggest that an elderly subject being uncooperative with a cognitive test is not an uncommon thing. People who are skilled in conducting cognitive assessments with elderly patients encounter this often and have the ability to conduct the assessment. I would suggest going to (preferably) a clinical psychologist or possibly a psychiatrist to consult on this. They should be someone who treats geriatric patients. They can be found at local hospital that has a psychiatric unit, particularly if it provides geriatric psychiatric care. Your relative's ALF might be able to provide a reference to a practitioner, particularly if they have a memor...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Fri Apr 07, 2023 4:16 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Wealthfront 4.3% APY - too good to be true?
Replies: 33
Views: 4721

Re: Wealthfront 4.3% APY - too good to be true?

And whoops! you can get over 4.8% on a 3-month T-Bill, which I plan to do at the auction coming up. What auction? Since you're in Vanguard, you can purchase T-Bills with your MM stash. Hit the Transact button and scroll down to Trade Bonds and CDs. Hit the Treasurys tab and you'll see which securities are being offered at auction. Currently the 3-month and 6-month are being offered. You can buy either by clicking on Buy. When I do this in my Vanguard account, the page after I click on "Trade Bonds and CDS" stays blank. What am I doing wrong? I have RothIRA and brokerage accounts with several thousands in MM/settlement funds. When I hit the Transact button a drop down menu appears and I can scroll down on it to Trade Bonds or CDs....
by Fremdon Ferndock
Fri Apr 07, 2023 1:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: My misadventure with Chase Checking account
Replies: 70
Views: 8236

Re: My misadventure with Chase Checking account

How does the real time transfer work on Chase's website?
by Fremdon Ferndock
Fri Apr 07, 2023 1:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Nursing Home vs Assisted Living
Replies: 46
Views: 5122

Re: Nursing Home vs Assisted Living

One thing that may crop up unexpectedly with your father is that he might start wandering, depending on his physical health. It may interfere with the plan to keep him where he is until Fall. We've had two relatives with Alzheimers, both were younger and likely more active than your father, but we had to find facilities for both when they started wandering around their neighborhoods, lost. They were fine living alone until the wandering started. Unfortunately, it's very common. When I first moved into my house, a woman was wandering around and asked me if I could help her because she didn't know where she was. I said that I could and called 911. The police came quickly. I never saw her again, so I assume that she was put in some sort of AL...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Fri Apr 07, 2023 2:18 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Nursing Home vs Assisted Living
Replies: 46
Views: 5122

Re: Nursing Home vs Assisted Living

One thing that may crop up unexpectedly with your father is that he might start wandering, depending on his physical health. It may interfere with the plan to keep him where he is until Fall. We've had two relatives with Alzheimers, both were younger and likely more active than your father, but we had to find facilities for both when they started wandering around their neighborhoods, lost. They were fine living alone until the wandering started. Unfortunately, it's very common. When I first moved into my house, a woman was wandering around and asked me if I could help her because she didn't know where she was. I said that I could and called 911. The police came quickly. I never saw her again, so I assume that she was put in some sort of AL...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Fri Apr 07, 2023 2:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Living in 55+ Communities?
Replies: 120
Views: 18707

Re: Living in 55+ Communities?

Yes, stay in the "bubble" that's for sure. I actually visited Sun City, AZ way back in the 1970s when it was new, and I think the first of it's kind. Sun City sat outside metro Phoenix in the desert and was a very, very nice place, very peaceful with shops and grocery stores all around. You could drive a golf cart safely anywhere you wanted. Now, of course, it's been sucked into the sprawling metro, there is tons of traffic, noice, and crowded stores and restaurants in abundance unless you're in the bubble. You can still drive a golf cart on the streets but only with cars buzzing past and hoping you don't become a statistic. You can only buy groceries at the crowded mega-markets and not the nice little corner groceries that used t...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Fri Apr 07, 2023 1:33 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Nursing Home vs Assisted Living
Replies: 46
Views: 5122

Re: Nursing Home vs Assisted Living

I'd be proactive about researching SNFs. It can take a lot of time to carefully sift through them. Start with Medicare.gov where you can see the ratings. Those with one or two stars are probably the non-keepers and some might be flagged for elder abuse. You'll have various criteria to consider. Then you need to visit the candidates in-person over time and take in the look, feel, and smell of the places and talk to staff. This is something you don't want to have to do in a short time frame. We were forced to do that because our mother was being discharged from the hospital to rehab without notice. These days, they just up and say today is discharge day. Hospitals won't cut you any slack nowadays and the highly rated one we were in simply wro...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Thu Apr 06, 2023 8:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Nursing Home vs Assisted Living
Replies: 46
Views: 5122

Re: Nursing Home vs Assisted Living

Wow, thanks for all the information. I realized this wasn't easy but I've been the main care provider being the only family member in the area. We are interviewing with an AL facility soon and supposedly they say they will not kick him out. I guess I'll have to read the fine print and ask many questions to ensure this to be true. You probably want an ALF that is part of a complex that includes Skilled Nursing. The last thing you want is for them to need to transfer him *elsewhere* after he's spent most/all of his money with them. He may be ready to go directly to SN. There is quite a range of "in between" where either ALF or SN could work, especially if an ALF can provide extra help so that some of the "SN help" is actu...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Thu Apr 06, 2023 8:08 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Finding the real yield of TIPs I bought
Replies: 5
Views: 669

Re: Finding the real yield of TIPs I bought

jeffyscott wrote: Thu Apr 06, 2023 7:54 pm The yield or "high yield" is the real yield that resulted from the auction.

Tipswatch also reports the results, easier to find shortly after the auction, but older ones can be found there one way or another. Here's the January one:
https://tipswatch.com/2023/01/19/new-10 ... gh-demand/
Ah yes. I knew this stuff but then forgot. The Interest Rate is the coupon apparently.
by Fremdon Ferndock
Thu Apr 06, 2023 7:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Nursing Home vs Assisted Living
Replies: 46
Views: 5122

Re: Nursing Home vs Assisted Living

My father is 93 (soon to be 94) and has Alzheimer's. I am trying to extend his stay at his apartment through the summer with things such as cameras in place, monitoring meds, assuring he has at least one hot meal/day etc. I will not be able to do this past the summer and it will become unsafe if I'm not available. I read an article today about assisted living facilities evicting their patients when the money runs out. He has $150K in the bank which may buy him a year at a AL facility. I believe his dementia may progress to the point where they may no longer be able to care for him when his money runs out (imagine that) and he will end up in a nursing home using Medicaid. So if this becomes the case, is it better to choose an assisted livin...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Thu Apr 06, 2023 7:21 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Finding the real yield of TIPs I bought
Replies: 5
Views: 669

Re: Finding the real yield of TIPs I bought

jeffyscott wrote: Wed Apr 05, 2023 9:47 pm Just go to the TIPS tab here: https://www.treasurydirect.gov/auctions ... a-results/
Thanks. So it is the Interest Rate that I'm looking for? That is the real YTM?
by Fremdon Ferndock
Thu Apr 06, 2023 7:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: My misadventure with Chase Checking account
Replies: 70
Views: 8236

Re: My misadventure with Chase Checking account

I contacted my Chase banker (she is great) about all this yesterday and she returned my call today. Asked me to bring her evidence that the deposit check drawn on U.S. Bank had been cashed, which I did in the form of a printout of my online check register. She said she would try to lift the hold with this information. I have to admit that I was puzzled by all this, because it would seem that Chase should already know the check was cashed at U.S. Bank because the funds must have been sent via EFT to Chase and the money has just been sitting there. At any rate, I just went online and saw that the hold has been lifted. Have to admit to skepticism as to whether this will stay in place. We'll see if it sticks, because I've seen things flip on my...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Thu Apr 06, 2023 6:57 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: I Bonds and Bill Bernstein's Maxim
Replies: 115
Views: 23275

Re: I Bonds and Bill Bernstein's Maxim

KarlJ wrote: Thu Apr 06, 2023 5:21 pm
There must be a happy medium between autopilot and manually piloting a passenger jet (TD). I hope I can find that.
For more than a decade, the TD website has been the most user-unfriendly interface I have ever used, although I-Bonds uniquely fit into my lifelong financial goals, so I will stick with manually piloting the TD jet!
I agree that I-Bonds are a unique inflation-protected investment with no term risk, meaning you can cash out at will and not mess with duration-matching. It's just the sweaty palm stuff...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Thu Apr 06, 2023 3:30 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Wealthfront 4.3% APY - too good to be true?
Replies: 33
Views: 4721

Re: Wealthfront 4.3% APY - too good to be true?

I'm doing it because the MM interest rate could fall and I want to lock in 4.8%+ for at least the next 3 or 6 month period. Of course, interest rates could go up but it's looking more like they'll be going down if we hit a recession. No fees to buy T-Bill and no spread if bought at auction.
by Fremdon Ferndock
Thu Apr 06, 2023 3:00 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Wealthfront 4.3% APY - too good to be true?
Replies: 33
Views: 4721

Re: Wealthfront 4.3% APY - too good to be true?

lucha wrote: Thu Apr 06, 2023 2:51 pm
Fremdon Ferndock wrote: Thu Apr 06, 2023 2:46 pm And whoops! you can get over 4.8% on a 3-month T-Bill, which I plan to do at the auction coming up.
What auction?
Since you're in Vanguard, you can purchase T-Bills with your MM stash. Hit the Transact button and scroll down to Trade Bonds and CDs. Hit the Treasurys tab and you'll see which securities are being offered at auction. Currently the 3-month and 6-month are being offered. You can buy either by clicking on Buy.
by Fremdon Ferndock
Thu Apr 06, 2023 2:46 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Wealthfront 4.3% APY - too good to be true?
Replies: 33
Views: 4721

Re: Wealthfront 4.3% APY - too good to be true?

And whoops! you can get over 4.8% on a 3-month T-Bill, which I plan to do at the auction coming up.
by Fremdon Ferndock
Thu Apr 06, 2023 2:40 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Inflation-hedging my nominal annuity
Replies: 70
Views: 5186

Re: Inflation-hedging my nominal annuity

Rolling commodities can be packaged with nominal bonds to simulate TIPS. https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-portfolio?s=y&timePeriod=2&startYear=1985&firstMonth=1&endYear=2023&lastMonth=12&calendarAligned=true&includeYTD=false&initialAmount=10000&annualOperation=0&annualAdjustment=0&inflationAdjusted=true&annualPercentage=0.0&frequency=4&rebalanceType=1&absoluteDeviation=5.0&relativeDeviation=25.0&leverageType=0&leverageRatio=0.0&debtAmount=0&debtInterest=0.0&maintenanceMargin=25.0&leveragedBenchmark=false&reinvestDividends=true&showYield=false&showFactors=false&factorModel=3&portfolioNames=false&portfolioName1=Portfoli...
by Fremdon Ferndock
Thu Apr 06, 2023 2:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medicaid and gifting
Replies: 27
Views: 2554

Re: Medicaid and gifting

CuriousJoe wrote: Thu Apr 06, 2023 2:20 pm I also read somewhere that Nursing Homes can not evict Medicaid patients once they are in, where as Assisted Living facilities CAN, at least in some states
In most instances, ALFs are not Medicaid-eligible in the first place.